title: Innate immune responses in raccoons after raccoon rabies virus infection.
abstract: Zoonotic wildlife diseases pose significant health risks not only to their primary vectors but also to humans and domestic animals. Rabies is a lethal encephalitis caused by rabies virus (RV). This RNA virus can infect a range of terrestrial mammals but each viral variant persists in a particular reservoir host. Active management of these host vectors is needed to minimize the negative impacts of this disease, and an understanding of the immune response to RV infection aids strategies for host vaccination. Current knowledge of immune responses to RV infection comes primarily from rodent models in which an innate immune response triggers activation of several genes and signalling pathways. It is unclear, however, how well rodent models represent the immune response of natural hosts. This study investigates the innate immune response of a primary host, the raccoon, to a peripheral challenge using the raccoon rabies virus (RRV). The extent and temporal course of this response during RRV infection was analysed using genes predicted to be upregulated during infection (IFNs; IFN regulatory factors; IL-6; Toll like receptor-3; TNF receptor). We found that RRV activated components of the innate immune system, with changes in levels of transcripts correlated with presence of viral RNA. Our results suggest that natural reservoirs of rabies may not mimic the immune response triggered in rodent models, highlighting the need for further studies of infection in primary hosts.
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensics Centre, DNA Building, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, Canada.|Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive Peterborough, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Vythegi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Srithayakumar
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive Peterborough, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Hariharan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sribalachandran
authors.affiliation: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife Research and Development Section, Trent University, DNA Building, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosatte
authors.affiliation: Centre of Expertise for Rabies, Ottawa Laboratory Fallowfield, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 3851 Fallowfield Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Nadin-Davis
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Department, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, Canada.|Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensics Centre, DNA Building, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kyle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007372:Interferons / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011818:Rabies / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D011821:Raccoons / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D007372:Interferons